The Community Newspaper for the Crown Point Neighbourhood

POINT PEOPLE: That’s a wrap

Packing a lunch for school or work is an everyday routine for thousands of Crown Point residents. Plastic wraps or bags for sandwiches are staple ingredients in lunches. But plastic becomes a huge problem once it is tossed away. It ends up in landfills, breaks down into tiny pieces, and enters into the food chain and water tables. Thinking about it could spoil your appetite. Luckily two women, one who happens to live in Crown Point, have a solution.

Robyn Menzies and Sarah Shearing are two moms and long-time friends. They met while living in Toronto and “bonded over their love of family life, baby wearing and healthy living.” After Sarah moved to Crown Point their friendship remained strong. “We always knew we would find a way to collaborate together and just needed the right project,” Sarah explained by email. That project turned out to be Earthology Food Wraps. The two women produce food wraps that are reusable, washable and, when they’re finally tattered and torn, compostable.

Describing themselves as environmentalists committed to “reducing toxins, waste, and protecting the planet,” Sarah explained that the project began when their children were set to begin school. “We started brainstorming ways to transition our home habits into our kids’ lunch boxes,” she said. “Nothing we saw combined both the all-organic, toxin-free materials with the beauty we wanted to see. Being green doesn’t need to be boring or difficult…so we decided to make our own.”

Thus began “a long and arduous journey” of sourcing materials that were organic and naturally produced. “It wasn’t easy, but with a little research a lot of patience and a little alchemy, we finally did it,” Sarah exclaimed. “We are proud to be the first North American makers of a vegan-friendly, 100 per cent plant-based food wrap.”

The market for Earthology Food Wraps is anyone who packs a lunch and who wants to reduce their consumption of single-use plastic materials. They also target those looking to “add a little flair to their kitchens or who are looking for a unique and beautiful gift.”

Sarah explained that while beeswax food wraps are not uncommon in other parts of the world, they are new to North America, “… so a lot of what we do is education.” She added, “Getting our product out there and demonstrating how amazing and easy it is, that’s our biggest challenge.”

Sarah said they both work hard to maintain the quality of their product while keeping prices low enough to entice people to give them a try. For anyone who would like to try Earthology Food Wraps in their kitchen and lunches, they can be purchased at Simply Zen on Ottawa Street near Cannon or ordered directly online at http://www.earthologywraps.com.

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